


Moments Like These

by fireflies_in_starryskies (Hidden_Haven)



Series: Comfort in Mundanity [3]
Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: David Acting as Max's Parental Figure | Dadvid (Camp Camp), Families of Choice, Family Fluff, Fluff, Gen, NOT m/a/x/v/i/d, Not Shippy, One Shot, Parental David (Camp Camp), Sunsets, Swearing, it's Max though so what can you expect
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-27
Updated: 2020-06-27
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:00:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24951961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hidden_Haven/pseuds/fireflies_in_starryskies
Summary: Max and David go on a walk to see the winter sunset. (Rated T for swearing)
Relationships: David & Max (Camp Camp)
Series: Comfort in Mundanity [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2025415
Comments: 10
Kudos: 122





	Moments Like These

"Dammit David, why the fuck are we outside when it's freezing?" 

"Because, kiddo, we're going to see the sunset!" David, far too chipper as always, skipped up the hill. "And language."

It had been about five months since Max moved in with David, and two since Max became David's foster child. Not that Max was counting, because he wasn't. Though, despite their troubles and many differences, Max felt far better than before. It was kind of odd, feeling like somebody cared for him.

Max continued to trudge up the pavement. "Call me kiddo again, and I'll skin you."

His parents never came back. Just like on parents’ day. Max watched as each camper slowly disappeared down the dirt road. He watched as Nikki and Neil left the place of all their past adventures. David and Gwen waited outside with Max for hours, long after the last camper was gone. Max could still remember the defeated look on David's face and when the fear set in. He didn't have anywhere to go.

"The view will be worth it!" 

When Max had first come to live with David, his apartment was pretty much bare. There was hardly any furniture, only a bed, a couch, a television, and a coffee table. David had insisted on sleeping on the sofa ("Come on, Max, please just take the bed."), and Max had flat-out refused ("Jesus Christ David, just sleep on the fucking bed, I'll be fine."). It resulted in an argument leading far too late into the night, and eventually, Max gave in and slept on the bed that night. 

"Yeah right." Max tugged his scarf more snugly around his neck. It was brown and soft with a teddy bear pattern. David picked it out for him when they went shopping for winter clothes. After they had got home, Max realised he'd forgotten to get a scarf ("It's fine, I'll live. Geez."), so David drove all the way back to the store to get him one ("No, no, you'll be cold! I'll just go buy one!"). 

David slowed down to wait for him, his nose red from the cold. "It'll happen soon! I think it will light up with colour today." He gestured at the sky. "See how the sun is starting to illuminate the edge? All of the clouds will be like that!"

Regardless of Max's countless objections, he was enrolled into school in September. David woke him up and made him a big breakfast, packed his lunch, and sobbed as Max walked into the brick building for his first day of fifth grade. Max had rolled his eyes, but his vision might have blurred a little when he found a cupcake in his lunchbox with a note. _You’ll do great, kiddo, have an amazing day!_

"Wow, how fucking exciting," Max said sarcastically, shoving his hands into his pockets. 

" _Language._ And it'll be so pretty! You wouldn't want to miss it." 

Max scoffed as they turned a corner. 

After a month of their odd living situation, David had gotten a larger apartment for them. This one had two bedrooms so Max could have his own. They went shopping for furniture and painted the walls together (a light blue, and David even put up little stars on the ceiling that glowed in the dark). It was... kind of nice being able to do something together like that. Even though Max hated mundane tasks with a passion, it was almost _fun_ doing it with somebody else. 

"How much longer?" he groaned. It was as though this stupid uphill walk would never end, even though it had probably only been about ten minutes. 

"Almost there!"

"That didn't answer my question." 

David dashed up the steps to a little plaza, and Max reluctantly followed. The sun was just dipping into the horizon now.

"So, is this it?"

On their first Halloween together, David wanted to carve a pumpkin with him. He always insisted on making his, no, _their_ apartment festive. Despite all of Max's complaints, he was roped into helping. Though he hated to admit it, Max had a good time at the pumpkin patch. He picked out the largest one he could find (mostly because David would have the most difficult time carrying it) and even rode in the wheelbarrow. Although it ended up looking mediocre at best, carving the pumpkin was far more fun than Max had originally thought. Plus, he’d gotten to fling the pulp at David.

"Not just yet, it’ll get better soon," David said.

"I have too much homework to see the shitty sunset, David."

"Oh, really?" his face fell for a moment. "Well, that's okay! We can go back now."

"I can go by myself, just give me the key." If Max timed it right, he would have extra time to waste. Maybe he could finish the horror movie he was watching when David wasn't around. 

"No no, it's getting dark, and it's dangerous." 

"Jesus, fine, just watch the stupid sun. I'm going to wait over there." Max went down the stairs, jumping off the last three steps. 

David hesitated but turned back to the sky. Max leaned against a streetlamp that just turned on and pulled out his guardian's phone. The lock screen was a photo of them eating ice cream together, and no matter how many times Max switched it to a picture of a blobfish, David always changed it back. Tinder was deleted from the phone now, so Max decided to scroll through the camera roll a little. Perhaps David would have some really weird shit in there. 

Much to his disappointment, though, most of the pictures were of either Max or both of them together. The most vaguely interesting thing was an image of Gwen making a weird face (he made a mental note to switch it to her contact photo). 

_Tap_

September 1

There was David, smiling proudly next to Max and holding his backpack before they'd left the apartment.

_Tap_

September 19

A selfie of David with Max and the paint roller in the background (there was blue paint in his hair? He didn't remember that).

_Tap_

October 27

The lit jack-o-lantern shone in the dark with Max's face behind it, barely visible in the dim light (the next photo was the mess of pulp and seeds scattered on the dining table and floor). 

_Tap_

The cake they made together.

_Tap_

Max reading a book about dinosaurs in the library.

_Tap_

The time he, Gwen, and David went to a museum together. 

He looked up. The sky was a crimson fire, pinks and peachy oranges highlighting the clouds like the messy strokes of a paintbrush. It was like the last evening he spent with Neil and Nikki, the heat of the sun dying down as the day melted into twilight. Birds flew away, only their silhouettes visible. Max glanced back at David. He was smiling, but it wasn't his usual too cheery one. He looked peaceful, somehow. 

David was there after school to ask how his day was. David helped him with his homework (well, he tried). David made pancakes on Sundays and comforted him on bad days. Max thought it would be foreign and weird, living with someone like David. But it really wasn't. David _cared,_ and perhaps that was why everything felt like it would be okay. And if he could do all that, maybe the least Max could do in return was watch the stupid sunset with him.

So, he climbed the steps and made his way back to where David stood. 

David grinned at his presence. "Why'd you come back?"

_The hot chocolate after nightmares, the painting, the pumpkins, the dinners together, the little outings, the glow-in-the-dark stars, the oven smores, the time, the effort, the love._

"It was a nice sunset."

**Author's Note:**

> First shot at writing fanfiction! I hope this was alright ^^;;


End file.
